Volunteer storytellers give tours of the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse and golf course every day. The educational tours, which can last up to an hour each and include golf cart rides out to holes, 16, 17 and 18, are free.
Guests come from around the country and the world. And most are so impressed they leave their tour guide a tip. Which the tour guide promptly puts into a charity fund.
Every December, the 50 Storytellers of TPC Sawgrass get together for an annual luncheon, where they present the total amount of funds raised to area charities.
“This is the highlight of our year,” Storyteller Captain Jim Kleck announced during an introductory speech at the event, held at the clubhouse Dec. 5. “We get gratuities and then we get to give them away.”
A committee of seven Storytellers met this year to decide which of 40 potential nonprofits would be selected for this year’s donation. They usually select three or four, and this year chose four: Saving Animals from Euthanasia (S.A.F.E.); Blessings in a Backpack; Mission House and Northeast Florida Women Veterans.
Representatives from each nonprofit attended the luncheon as guests, and after being presented with their checks, gave brief speeches of appreciation.
“The holiday season is a tough one,” Lisa Wargo, a volunteer with S.A.F.E., said with tears in her eyes as she went up to accept her St. Augustine-based charity’s check for $5,000. “We appreciate this, and the animals do as well.”
Blessings in a Backpack, which provides meals for thousands of food-insecure schoolchildren in Duval and St. Johns Counties, also received $5,000.
Mission House, a Jacksonville Beach facility that provides meals, showers, counseling and housing assistance for people who are homeless, received $7,500.
Northeast Florida Women Veterans, a Jacksonville-based nonprofit that serves female military veterans returning to civilian life, also received $7,500.
“You are the gatekeepers of the history of this place,” Dee Quaranta, founder and president of Women Veterans said during her speech. “Thank you for telling your stories about this wonderful place, and for helping people like us.”
The Storytellers normally donate between $25,000 to $30,000 a year, Kleck said. Between November 2018 and November 2019, a total of 5,800 guests toured the facility. In giving, the storytellers follow the lead of the PGA TOUR, which donates to many charities, including proceeds raised during THE PLAYERS Championship, held at the Ponte Vedra Beach TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course.
“Since 2007, when Storytellers were founded, we’ve given $200,000 of gratuities,” Kleck said. “We’ve given tours to people from Iceland, South Africa, China and Japan. So, we covered the globe last year with 35 foreign countries and all 50 states.”
Storytellers are required to work three 4-hour shifts a month. Most are retired professionals, with 40 % women and 60 % men. More are always needed however volunteers must go through an application process and only a certain percentage are accepted because more people want to be volunteers than there are shifts available. Those selected must go through training with Kleck, then shadow experienced Storytellers.
Tours can range from one person to six or seven, the maximum number that can fit in the special touring golf carts, which the Storytellers drive. Gratuities can range from a one-dollar bill to a $100-dollar bill.
Russ Girolamo, who has been volunteering for 10 years, said he likes the camaraderie that has built up among the Storytellers.
“We get to meet people from around the world and interact with them,” he said. “It’s a fun volunteer job.”
